May 4, 2006: Mike Napoli hits home run in first career at-bat as Angels snap 6-game losing streak

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim were in the midst of a six-game losing streak when they visited the Detroit Tigers on May 4, 2006. The Tigers were the clear favorites to win.1 But unbeknownst to both the Tigers and the 24,879 in attendance at Comerica Park, Angels manager Mike Scioscia had a secret weapon: Mike Napoli.2 The 24-year-old rookie catcher had been recalled on May 3 from the Salt Lake Bees of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League.3 Scioscia liked his game-management ability and put him in the lineup.

The Tigers started sensational rookie pitcher Justin Verlander while Kevin Gregg, making his first start of the season, took the mound for the Angels. In a pregame interview, Scioscia said, “I wanted Napoli to catch Gregg because they’ve worked together at Salt Lake.”4 With Detroit on a six-game winning streak, on paper it looked to be an easy win for the Tigers.

Verlander started by walking Chone Figgins, who attempted to steal second base during Orlando Cabrera’s at-bat and was thrown out by Tigers catcher Vance Wilson. Cabrera didn’t fare any better, grounding out to third base. Vladimir Guerrero hit a single to left field before Garret Anderson grounded out to Verlander to end the Angels’ first inning. Gregg started strong as well, striking out Curtis Granderson before getting the next two batters to fly out.

With a runner at first in the Angels’ second inning, Verlander coaxed Casey Kotchman into a groundball double play for two outs, then struck out rookie Howie Kendrick to get out of the top of the inning. Then after getting Magglio Ordóñez and Carlos Guillén to fly out to center field and left field respectively, Gregg pitched around a line-drive single to left field by Chris Shelton. Craig Monroe hit a popup along the first-base line that was caught by Kotchman leaning into the seats. The inning was over with the score still 0-0.

To begin the third, Verlander faced the right-handed-hitting Napoli for the first time.5 He batted eighth in the order and proved to be a quick study at the plate. “I saw what Verlander did with Howie. He went ahead and pulled it away with the corner,” Napoli said. “I got down 1-and-2 and looked for a curveball.”6 On the 1-and-2 changeup, Napoli blasted a solo shot that traveled 395 feet into left-center and landed in the Angels’ bullpen. The first home run of Napoli’s career, on his first at-bat, put the Angels up 1-0.7 Angels TV announcer Steve Physioc reacted to the blast by saying, “Can you believe this? His first major-league at-bat and Mike Napoli has hit a home run!”8

The Angels hitters couldn’t continue the magic as Tommy Murphy grounded out to shortstop in his own first career at-bat. Figgins flied out to deep center field and Cabrera struck out swinging. Gregg held the Tigers at bay in the bottom of the third, striking out Brandon Inge and cajoling Wilson and Granderson into groundouts.

In the top of the fourth, Guerrero flared a ball to right field for a single. Anderson popped one up behind home plate for the first out, then Adam Kennedy flied out to Granderson in center. Facing Kotchman with two outs and Guerrero on first, Verlander picked off Guerrero and sent the game to the bottom of the fourth. 

The Tigers came out swinging. With one out, Alexis Gómez hammered a ball to center field that traveled 420 feet and careened off the wall. Angels center fielder Murphy threw a one-hopper to third to hold Gomez at second. On a 1-and-0 pitch, Ordóñez hit a fly ball to right field that allowed Gómez to score, tying the game, 1-1. With two out, Gregg pitched to Guillén, who flied out to deep center field to end the inning and limit the damage.

The Angels started the fifth inning with Kotchman taking Verlander deep on a 1-and-1 pitch to right field, his first home run of the season. Verlander then hit Kendrick with a pitch. When Napoli came up for his second career at-bat, Verlander tried picking off Kendrick at first. But he tossed short and the ball bounced into the dugout. Kendrick went to second.

Napoli hit a ball up the middle. Kendrick moved over to third as Napoli was thrown out at first. In his second major-league at-bat, Tommy Murphy singled to left field, scoring Kendrick. Figgins also singled to left, advancing Murphy to second base. With two men on, Verlander lured Cabrera into an infield pop fly for the second out, the forced Guerrero into grounding to shortstop Guillén, who threw out Figgins at second base for the third out. In the bottom of the fifth, Gregg worked around a leadoff single by Chris Shelton, coaxing the next three batters into fly balls to center field, left field, and right field to end the inning. The Angels led 3-1.

Verlander threw around a leadoff double by Anderson in the top of the sixth inning, retiring the next two Angels batters. But then Kendrick singled to center field, scoring Anderson. Napoli, who had already hit a home run, slammed a ball to deep right field that was caught for the third out. However, the damage was done as the Angels increased their lead to 4-1. Gregg returned to pitch a flawless sixth and the Angels maintained their three-run lead.

Jordan Tata replaced Verlander to begin the seventh. Tata was immediately in trouble, allowing Murphy to single to center before getting Figgins to pop out in foul territory along the third-base line for the first out. Cabrera singled to left field to advance the speedy Murphy to third. With two men on, Guerrero hammered a Tata curveball to deep left field for a three-run homer, extending the Angels lead to 7-1. After throwing only 12 pitches, Tata was replaced by Jamie Walker, who got the last two outs of the inning despite a double by Kennedy. Gregg pitched a flawless bottom of the seventh for the Angels.

Jason Grilli replaced Walker to start the eighth and put away the bottom of the Angels lineup. Set-up man Brendan Donnelly replaced Angels starting pitcher Gregg in the bottom of the frame. After walking Monroe and a yielding single to Brandon Inge to start the inning, he gave up a fly ball to Curtis Granderson that scored Monroe from third.  Donnelly then coaxed Polanco into a grounder to short to end the inning.

Bobby Seay replaced Grilli in the ninth for the Tigers. After a single by Figgins, Cabrera hit into a double play. Guerrero then singled and Anderson walked. With men on first and second, Seay got Kennedy to line out to shortstop and send it to the bottom of the ninth. With a 7-2 lead, the Angels brought in closer Francisco Rodríguez. He was masterful, getting the first two batters out with a grounder to second and fly out to right, then striking out Omar Infante to close the game.

The Angels outhit Detroit 15-4 behind the three home runs swatted by Guerrero, Napoli, and Kotchman.9 The Angels’ victory stopped their longest losing streak since 2002, and ended Detroit’s longest winning streak (six games) since June 24-30, 2004.

According to ESPN.com, Napoli became the 92nd major leaguer to hit a home run in his first career at-bat.10 After the game, Scioscia praised his new catcher, saying, “Mike did a good job behind the plate and got us going with a big hit.”11

Napoli said of his first-ever big-league home run, “Just trying to put a good swing on a pitch in the zone. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”12

In a 2013 interview with the Boston Globe, Napoli recalled, “I was tired, and I think it relaxed me a bit. It was pretty exciting, all the guys in the dugout were going crazy. It’s something I’ll never forget.”13

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-Reference, Retrosheet, Baseball Almanac, and Stats Crew, and the Mike Napoli player file at the National Baseball Hall of Fame. 

Thanks to Rachel Wells at the Hall of Fame as well as Pat Scheller, Holly Scheller, and Greg Fowler for their support.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/DET/DET200605040.shtml

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2006/B05040DET2006.htm

Photo credit: Mike Napoli, Trading Card Database.

Notes

1 The  Tigers won the American League pennant in 2006, but were beaten in the World Series by the St. Louis Cardinals, four games to one.

2 Angels manager Mike Scioscia started three rookies that day. Mike Napoli and Tommy Murphy were playing their first major-league game while Howie Kendrick was starting his fourth game.

3 “Transactions,” Indiana (Pennsylvania) Gazette, May 4, 2006: 18.

4 “Los Angeles Angels at Detroit Tigers, May 4, 2006,” https://youtu.be/9dXIAs2IqT0, accessed March 25, 2024.

5 Angels broadcaster Rex Hudler said before Napoli’s at-bat that he thought he would go opposite field for a home run in his first at-bat. Four pitches later that is exactly what Napoli did. Napoli took Verlander deep again in Game Three of the 2013 ALCS.

6 Mike DiGiovanna, “Angels Bring the Game from Triple-A; Newcomers Murphy and Napoli, Recently Called Up Kendrick and Gregg, in a Rare Start, Make Big Contributions in a 7-2 Win Over the Tigers,” Los Angeles Times, May 5, 2006: D3.

7 The last person before Napoli to hit a home run in his first career at-bat was Jeremy Hermida. On August 31, 2005, in a pinch-hit at-bat for the Florida Marlins, Hermida hit a grand slam.

8 “Los Angeles Angels at Detroit Tigers, May 4, 2006,” https://youtu.be/9dXIAs2IqT0, accessed March 25, 2024. Physioc said later in the game that it was the first time in his career that he’d ever witnessed a first-at-bat home run.

9 “Angels 7, Tigers 2,” Tyrone (Pennsylvania) Daily Herald, May 5, 2006: 5.

10 “Angels 7, Tigers 2,” Greenwood (South Carolina) Index-Journal, May 5, 2006: 15.

11 “Angels Snap Longest Skid Since ’02, Cool Off Tigers,” ESPN.com, https://www.espn.com/mlb/recap/_/gameId/260504106, accessed May 25, 2024. Several sources are inconclusive on whether Napoli was the 91st  (MLB.com), 92nd (https://www.espn.com/mlb/recap/_/gameId/260504106), or 93rd (https://www.baseball-almanac.com/feats/feats5.shtml) person to hit a home run in his first at-bat.

12 “Angels Snap Longest Skid Since ’02, Cool Off Tigers.” Both Napoli and Tommy Murphy got the balls from their first career hits after the game.

13 Andrew Mearns, “Mike Napoli Set the Perfect Tone for His Career by Taking Justin Verlander Deep in His First MLB At-Bat,” MLB.com, December 9, 2018. https://www.mlb.com/cut4/mike-napoli-homered-in-his-first-at-bat-c301617696, accessed March 31, 2024. The Angels finished second in the AL West, four games behind Oakland, in 2006. Napoli played in 99 games, hitting 16 homers and driving in 42 runs. He went on to a 12-year major-league career, during which he played in the 2011 World Series with the Texas Rangers, the 2013 World Series with the Boston Red Sox, and the 2016 World Series with the Cleveland Indians. Napoli hit 267 home runs during his career, never failing to reach double digits in home runs. His highest home run and RBI totals came with Cleveland in 2016, when he hit 34 home runs and had 102 RBIs.